2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Test Drive

Cadillac’s CTS-V is a musclebound powerhouse of a car, offered in coupe, sedan, and–in our case–wagon form. This is one of those ‘Holy Grail’ cars for enthusiasts, a car that looks great, sounds like the end of the world, and offers nuclear-level performance while carting its occupants around in a roomy, well-appointed cabin.

In short, on paper it looks perfect, especially for a wagon enthusiast like myself. And it looks great in person, too. Our test car’s silver coat was offset beautifully by the optional wheels in glossy black, and brake calipers in a shade of yellow that looks like it came off a Lamborghini. The near-exotic feel was capped by the optional suede on the steering wheel and the shift lever.

On the road, the CTS-V didn’t quite feel the way I was hoping it would. I’d hoped, despite the insanity of the supercharged LS3 (556 hp, 551 lb-ft of torque) that propels the wagon from 0-60 in around 4 seconds flat, that the car would dance a little bit. It doesn’t, really…it simply looks for the next available stretch of highway on which it can further stupefy its driver with its ability to melt great distances down to nothing.

And that really isn’t the car’s fault. At Despite its great lap times and well-sorted development, there is simply a limit to what a car of this size, weight (over 4300lb), and power level can do for this amount of money. Starting at around $63,400, the CTS-V wagon offers the performance (and size, and imposing presence) of a $90,000 M5 for the price of an M3. That in itself is an accomplishment that Cadillac can be unabashedly proud of.

The fact is that this car is even more unique than the coupe and sedan versions of the CTS-V. It performs nearly as well, just a few ticks behind the lighter bodystyles in both 0-60 and 1/4-mile sprints. But it’s a freaking wagon! With 25 cubic feet of cargo room with the seats up, and 68 cubes with the seats folded, it beats out many SUVs, including the BMW X5, the M version of which will just not keep up with this Caddy CTS despite costing a cool $40-50k more. You pay for it at the pump, of course, with mileage in the estimated range of 14 mpg city and 19 mpg highway. But the low entry price relative to anything that comes close performance-wise is well worth it.